Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has reiterated the government’s commitment to building a self-sustaining and shock-responsive health sector, calling on stakeholders and international partners to align with Kenya’s long-term health sovereignty goals.
Addressing delegates at the Kenya Health Summit, Mudavadi emphasized that health service delivery must transcend crisis management to focus on preventive infrastructure, early threat detection, and institutional resilience.
“Health is no longer only a social-sector concern; it is a question of national resilience, economic security, and sustainable development. The real test of a health system is whether it can continue functioning when conditions are not normal.”
Highlighting shifting international donor priorities, Mudavadi urged national and county governments to establish sustainable domestic financing mechanisms for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) rather than relying strictly on external grants.
Following landmark agreements such as the U.S.–Kenya Health Cooperation Framework, the government is directing support directly into local institutions—including the Social Health Authority (SHA), Digital Health Authority (DHA), and KEMSA—to strengthen domestic ownership and supply chain integrity.
The state is implementing plans to progressively absorb thousands of health workers and laboratory specialists into public service to secure baseline staffing.
Advocating for comprehensive approaches to specialized care, Mudavadi has called for cross-ministerial cooperation to fight non-communicable diseases, expanding decentralization efforts for cancer treatment hubs across key counties.
Pushing for full implementation of the Digital Health Act, including Electronic Community Health Information Systems (eCHIS) and facility digital management to improve transparency and tracking.
Mudavadi called on health sector workers, county authorities, and civil society partners to maintain constructive dialogue and avoid politicizing healthcare services, stressing that national prosperity relies on a healthy, protected populace.
